They Come
by burnettchic8
Summary: This is a story I wrote for a fanfic contest for the KoTOR DCC I won second place. The challenge was to use the Gizka as your primary charrie.


THEY COME

The Ebon Hawk landed on Rakata Prime. The place still caused Bastila to suppress a shiver, even though she had been here more times than she could count. Not sure why, Bastila was on edge and encouraged Revan to go to the bar without her. While Revan and the crew were out for the evening, Bastila had their quarters to herself. She sat on the bunk and gazed at the barren land of Rakata Prime. Sighing heavily, she realized how quiet things were on the Ebon Hawk. She lies back on the bunk and lets her mind wander. Turning her head and looking again at dead and dry lands of Rakata Prime, she remembers her time with Darth Malak. Her eyes close and she dreams… of Darth Malak, of chaos and of the Gizka.

There were many Jedi and Sith battling around her, but she had her orders and she planned to make Revan suffer. Using her lightsaber, she quickly dispatched four Jedi with her double blade. Sparing nothing more than a quick glance and a satisfied smile, she ran towards the now empty and deserted Ebon Hawk. As she entered the starship Bastila thought she heard something scurry across the floor, but when she looked she saw nothing. She found the trail that Revan had left and began to track him; slowly, quietly and cautiously. Sensing that someone, or something, was behind her she drew her lightsaber. She knew that Revan was close, very close. The only thing that could be seen in the dark body of the ship was the red glow from her lightsaber and the sudden appearance of a yellow light immediately to her right. She turned and knew she had found Revan.

Before Bastila could attack, something scampered over her foot and something else scurried up her leg. Jumping and using the light from her lightsaber, she saw that there were several gizka aboard the deserted ship. With their large black and green eyes and their green scaled skin, she could understand why they were called _Large Eyed Snake Walkers_. They walked and stood on their hind legs but the claws on their two shorter forelegs were sharp enough to cause serious damage to human flesh, if that is what they chose to do.

While she was watching the gizka, Bastila heard Revan mutter several oaths about the ungodly creatures. Just then she noticed that since they were no taller than the distance from her foot to her calf, they would be hard to kill and even harder to find. Suddenly, there was a sound like the scratching of millions of little claws on the metal floor. Bastila realized that Revan was not her biggest threat…_the gizka were_. They had them surrounded. Before Bastila could say a word, Revan was already motioning to her that he also realized their mistake too late. They had chosen to have their battle on the gizka's breeding ground.

The gizka attacked in unison, as if they were all connected together to make one body. What had appeared to be walls were thousands of the small creatures. They scratched and used their razor sharp teeth to tear at the bodies of the humans, but they only succeeded in ripping Bastila's and Revan's tunics and causing minor flesh wounds. Both of the humans were using their lightsabers to ward off as much of the attack as they could and even managed to take out some of the gizka. But instead of the numbers dwindling, they seemed to be multiplying at a frenzied rate.

Bastila was being forced into a large open area that had light streaming into it from broken windows. She was finally able to actually see what she was fighting. When she saw how many of them there were and just how badly she was surrounded, she wished she were back in the darkness. She slashed out with her lightsaber and could smell the burnt flesh of the gizka that she killed. The smell was a mixture of oil, camphor and blood. It was enough to turn her stomach, but she knew she did not have that luxury. As she continued to slay the creatures, she started to get fatigued. It was as if for every one that she killed, ten more would take its place. Seeing that this was a battle she could not, would not, win Bastila began to fight all that much harder. Once they saw that she was weakening, the creatures began to attack again. One managed to get its teeth into the soft exposed flesh of her thigh and tore a chunk out of it. Howling in pain, she fell to her knees just as Revan entered the room. Between the two of them, they managed to make some progress towards their survival. The creatures retreated as quickly as they had appeared. Seeing that she was wounded Revan tried to give aid to Bastila, but seeing as to how she hated him and wanted him dead – Bastila refused his assistance.

Managing to create a makeshift tourniquet out of one of the hanging tatters of her tunic, Bastila bandaged her leg and slid to the floor. She immediately fell into a deep feverish sleep. Revan used the debris he found laying around the ship and started a fire, hoping to keep the gizka at bay for the night. Periodically Bastila would stir and moan, trying to fight whatever demons plagued her sleep and the fever. He went to her and gave her a water capsule, to help prevent her from dehydrating. Though he was thirsty himself, he only had four capsules left. He planned to use them to help her, whether she wanted his assistance or not.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew there were gizka swarming all over him and the helpless Bastila. Jumping to his feet and sending the creatures scurrying, Revan pulled his lightsaber and ran towards Bastila's prone body. He managed to reach her and free her from the clutches of the gizka, but not before they had been able to take more bites out of her tender flesh. Revan dressed her fresh wounds and since she was not able to stop him, looked at the gash in her thigh. He could see the infection and the cause of it. Using his skills as a Jedi to lessen the pain and the tip of his lightsaber, Revan managed to reopen the wound and extract several sharp teeth from it. After he removed them, he broke open one of the water capsules and flushed the wound. He then used his lightsaber to cauterize and seal the wound. Wrapping a fresh dressing, made with a piece of his own tunic, around Bastila's thigh Revan vowed to keep her safe, at least while she was in this vulnerable state.

When she awoke the next morning, Bastila was warm, hungry and curiously refreshed. When she realized that she was laying on Revan's chest and his arms were wrapped around her, Bastila pulled away, scurried some distance away, jumped to her feet and quickly drew her lightsaber. Once she got to her feet Bastila noticed the fresh bandage and the pain in her thigh had been reduced to only a slight throbbing. She started to question him, when she realized that Revan had never moved, he was so deep in sleep. Bastila approached him and was about to deliver a fatal blow, when the gizka attacked again.

She was knocked to the floor by the multitude of the creatures that had launched themselves onto her head and her back. As she tried to regain her footing, Bastila noticed that there was one gizka that seemed different than the others. This one had red eyes with rings of gold and green in them, yellow/orange reptilian skin and the same menacing claws and teeth. But she could see signs of intelligence in the eyes of this one. She watched fascinated as the creature crawled up Revan's leg and over his chest. When it reached out one of those short legs in the direction of his face, Bastila's paralysis was broken. Bastila lunged to her feet and ran towards the sleeping Revan and hoped that she was not too late. Not knowing when her feelings for her enemy had changed, nor caring, Bastila swung her lightsaber and sliced the gizka in half. Hearing the shriek of the creature, Revan woke to find Bastila standing over him with her lightsaber drawn. He was prepared to accept his fate when she turned and began attacking the remaining creatures in the room. Grateful, but confused, Revan joined in the battle and soon the room was gizka free… for the moment. Though they were both exhausted, Revan and Bastila watched one another warily. Neither could forget that the other was their mortal enemy, nor could they ignore that something was happening between them.

He slumped to the floor and she collapsed by the door. Bastila and Revan could hear the creatures scurrying about gathering reinforcements, but they were too spent to do anything about it. Just as they acknowledged that this may be their last stand, the creatures emerged from the gallows of the ship. Both humans were shocked by the sheer number of them. There were literally thousands upon thousands of them. There were so many gizka that neither Revan nor Bastila could see a single empty space on the ship floor. Casting one last look at each other – they stood, drew their weapons and prepared for what they both knew would be their last fight. After the first wave of the attack, both humans had sustained injuries and the gizka had suffered many losses. Just as the second wave began, there was the unmistakable sense that something was different in the air. Bastila tried to sense what it was and let out a shout of joy. More Sith were coming in this direction, they would have some help…if only she and Revan could hold off the gizka for a few more minutes. Revan picked up on her thoughts and with renewed strength, the two warriors continued to battle the creatures.

The Sith army reached the ship just moments before a small army of Jedi arrived. The two warring armies joined together to free their respective leaders. Once the gizka had been eliminated, the armies soon returned to warring against one another. Bastila turned to Revan and asked him to join her, to return to the Dark Side. He refused. They battled more, but since both mighty warriors were exhausted, this battle was over almost before it began and neither was the victor. Bastila issued the order to retreat and vanished over a dirt hill and returned to her ship . Revan called the order to retreat as well and returned to his ship.

Upon her return to her ship and her quarters Bastila was immediately taken to the medical bay. While being treated for her injuries Bastila noticed for the first time just what excellent care Revan had taken of her. After bathing and putting on a fresh tunic, Bastila prepared herself mentally for the punishment she knew was waiting for her. Bastila approached her master, Darth Malak, with unease and her head held high. As she stood before him, Bastila absently traced the healing scar on her thigh. When Darth Malak lashed out and struck her for her failure, there were tears in her eyes. Not of pain, not of hatred... but of determination.

"Next time we meet Revan_**, you will die**_!" she said to herself.

She felt a now familiar hand on her face and woke slowly. A smile spread across Bastila's face and that hand moved to absently caress the faint scar the was visible on her exposed thigh. Revan had returned home early, and for this she was glad. Dwelling in the past only gave her headaches, and as Revan began to kiss her, Bastila realized that she would much rather enjoy the present.


End file.
